It’s one thing to have swarms of giant jellyfish or squids preying upon local commercial fish populations; it’s quite another to have a huge swarm of crustaceans – tiny ones at that – threatening to destroy an entire island. The uninhabited island of Hoboro, which lies about 1,650 ft off the coast of Hiroshima, has been under steady attack for the last few years; millions of crustaceans – relatives of crabs and shrimp known as “nanatsuba-kotsubumushi” – are boring into the island….

Reuters – A sudden spate of urgent cardiovascular syndromes resulting in severe chest pain that required emergency department visits among residents of Sydney, Australia, in 2005 has been traced to high solar radiance and ozone levels.

AP – An already relentless melting of the Arctic greatly accelerated this summer, a warning sign that some scientists worry could mean global warming has passed an ominous tipping point. One even speculated that summer sea ice would be gone in five years.

More than 3,000 flying foxes dropped dead, falling from trees in Australia. Giant squid migrated north to commercial fishing grounds off California, gobbling anchovy and hake. Butterflies have gone extinct in the Alps.